Wise in Our Own Ways
by Chaotic Serenity
Summary: Sequel to "The Shattered." In the wake of Link's decision, the sages are forced to reflect on themselves, Link, and the future. *FINISHED*
1. Prologue: Intertwining Consciences

Wise in Our Own Ways-Prologue: Intertwining Consciences

_Author's Notes:_The prologue to _Wise in Our Own Ways._I forgot to post it first.:winces:Sorry!

**Warnings: **None, it's just full of angst.

**Obligatory Disclaimer:**I do not own any of the characters from Zelda or any of the places.

Wise in Our Own Ways 

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Prologue: Intertwining Consciences 

"I can't believe it...he's..." 

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_"Oh Nayru, goddesses no, this can't be happening..."_

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_"No!"_

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_"Link!How...how could you?"_

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_"How could he...what's happening...this isn't real..."_

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_"Oh Goddesses...There's so much blood…"_

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_"Link!Kid...why?"_

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_"What's going to happen now?"_

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_"Why did he...how could he!"_

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_"He's left me all alone!We were supposed to be married!"_

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_"No more walks through...the forest..."_

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_"Never in our history..."_

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_"A peasant yes...even a king, yes, but not…Link…"_

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_"I thought...a holder of the Triforce of Courage shouldn't die like this!"_

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"Did he...hate us that much? 

_"In all my years..."_

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_"His sword fallen...that letter..."_

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_"Broken pieces..."_

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_"My wedding!"_

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_"Our...friendship..."_

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_"Our brotherhood..."_

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_"Our bond..."_

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_"His words..."_

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_"How..."_

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_"Could..."_

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_"He..."_

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_"Why did you do it Link?"_

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Prologue:First Part: _Rauru: Reflections of an Elder._


	2. Rauru: Reflections of an Elder

Wise in Our Own Ways-Rauru: Reflections of an Elder

_Author's Notes:_A sequel to The Shattered.Takes place after Link has died, and the sages are left to reflect on the choices they made and their hand in Link's demise.Each chapter keys in on the thoughts of on particular sage as they stand around the altar on which Link's body had been rested.The characters are dictated in order of importance, depending on how you look at them.I hope you enjoy it; I know I did writing it.

**Warnings:**Heavy angst, death, and theme.

**Obligatory Disclaimer: **I do not own Rauru, or any of the other characters in Zelda.

**Wise in Our Own Ways**

_Rauru: Reflections of a Elder_

Perhaps I did push the boy the little too hard, forcing everything on his head so soon after his awakening.Then again, what was I to do? My power was failing, the final seal was breaking, and my people were dying.Besides, the boy was the Hero of Time, was he not?He was perfection at its finest, steeled for warfare, and his fate forged by destiny and the Goddesses.

Fate…that word should have a new meaning for me now. My whole life, I took it for granted, looked at it as a simple flow of ill-desired providence, never once thinking of how it affected me.

I look back now, and suddenly I feel so very old, far too old.I've seen so much anguish in my years, and I've lost friends so often that I count what I have now as few.In fact, rarely do I become close to others, even my fellow sages.Too easily are they lost in the wake of evil, and far too often does evil rear its ugly head.

But Link…I never considered the possibility of his demise, especially by his own hand.I suppose I was too caught up in the business of saving the lives of the others and…myself.Rather then think about the boy, I thought selfishly of myself, and now it's his blood on **my **hands.

As I stand before the other sages, my eyes desperately trying to hold back the river of tears that threatens to escape its dam, I can't help but think about how had we just given Link the chance, we could have possibly saved his life.Then again, perhaps we couldn't have.Perhaps the boy's pain was beyond our reach, away from my reach.Perhaps this was a decision fate had in store for him a long time ago.

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps!I'm asking too many darn questions of myself!There are far too many variables in this situation; how could I have possibly known it was coming?Why is it that I'm blaming myself in this matter?

Because I should have seen this coming, yet I never moved a finger to stop it.Nope, not even a simple guiding hand did we offer the boy in his misery.His suffering we remained ignorant of, and we refused to acknowledge that our hero was dying, both in spirit and body.

And now we are paying for it.Slowly, but surely, the once blinding strokes of fate and fortune are becoming clear to us as we gaze upon our fallen warrior, our eyes brimming with stubborn tears.

Oh yes, those stubborn tears whose lamenting waters we cannot allow to touch our cheeks, for if we do, we will be admitting to murder. 

For hundreds of years I watched the sages, including those I loved, shrivel and die before my eyes, and I have watched the death of thousands of Hyrulians, young and the old, perish at the hands of evil such as Ganondorf.Through it all I never once thought to blame myself, never once felt so dirty and old. I figured that Din, Farore, and Nayru, in their divine beauty and wisdom, would lead the good to conquer once again.

However, for once the stains on my hands can't seem to wash off, and somehow my faith in the goddesses has shifted to a looser standing. 

And for once, this old man's not sure if he can hold back the tears.

Part 1, next chapter: _Nabooru: Through the Eyes of a Warrior._Please read and review.


	3. Nabooru: Through the Eyes of a Warrior

Wise in Our Own Ways-Nabooru: Through the Eyes of a Warrior

_Author's Notes:_Continuing with Wise in Our Own Ways, I present to you Nabooru's perspective.

**Warnings:**Mentions of rape, some swearing, and theme.

**Obligatory Disclaimer: **I do not own Zelda, Nabooru, or any of the other characters.

**Wise In Our Own Ways** _Nabooru: Through the Eyes of a Warrior___

Damn men!If I said it once, I'll say it again; you can't trust a man, especially with a woman's heart.They're always leaving you behind, doing their own thing without any thought of your feelings.Link, for example, didn't even stop to think about how even just I would feel about him committing suicide, much less the feelings of the others.

I loathe saying this, but in some ways, he's no better then Ganondorf.Leaving us behind so suddenly, without warning for his selfish reasons.Men are so blindingly incompetent when it comes to perceiving the feelings of others, which is why the goddesses are female, I suppose.

Then again, maybe I'm being a little too harsh on the lad; he had it just as hard as we did, having to fight Ganondorf and all.Perhaps I was expecting too much out of the kid-

No!He was the Hero of Time, and it was his duty to uphold justice and civil law in our realm, no matter how much he dissented with his role.Destiny handed him a challenging role, I admit, but a true warrior must stand up to meet that challenge, steel himself for what was to come, not find an easy way out.

Take myself, for example.Did I slit my wrists when it was announced that I was to be Ganondorf's bride?Did snivel and weep in refusal when I was chosen to produce the next heir?No!I did not!In fact, I refused to cry, even after the time had come to marry and he'd had his…way with me.

My fists tighten at the frightening memories of miserable nights and cold hands, and my one hand unconsciously slides up, over the now bare wrist that once held the most honored piece of jewelry of my people: the marriage bracelet.It was-no had been a silver armlet continuous circle of white diamonds inlayed with various precious stones that were also symbolic to our people.

I had burned it as soon as he'd impregnated me and had left, for it had held nothing but pain and misery for me.As for the son born of those terrifying and brutal nights, he's somewhere in the western mountains, hidden away where Ganondorf will never find his son, being trained by a few trusted colleagues of mine until the time comes to take his father's place as king.

I pray that he won't turn out the same as his father.

But that's only a past failure and obstacle of mine; I learned to forget those nights and move on with my life, and now I'm a sage!A powerful, highly respected elder with lots of friends and a happy disposition…right?

Of course, there are things I miss, such as Sakura and Minora, my sisters, my mother Kalandra, and…my son, but that doesn't mean I regret anything, of course.I mean this was what I was destined for right?Fate led me down this path for a good reason; it wouldn't lead me astray.

…Would it?

Evidently, Link felt that his path was going nowhere and that destiny led him astray, or so I would gather from the way he died.Of all the things the Master Sword has slain, I doubt it has yet to have pierced the breast of its wielder. Until now, that is.

Am I on the same road as Link?Am I bound for a life of misery until I can no longer take it go the way of the bloody sword?

No!I'm stronger then that, or so I think I am.I am a warrior, strong and brave, never to be brought down by the simple defenses of people.Link failed fate's plight; he was a weak tie, too easily broken.As a warrior of the utmost level of respect, he failed the very code that he swore to lead his life under.Therefore, it was his choice, not destiny's fault.A warrior must be willing to take whatever fate hands to him and deal with it in whichever way he can and choke down the bitter ironies of life with an steel-forged soul.

I'm right to; I have to be.A sage is never wrong…right?What a jumbled mess of words and feelings my life is, and I have so many questions.

I shake my head.No, there's no need for questions, for they all will be answered in due time…I hope.

However, there's one question that plagues me even as I assure myself of a sage's wisdom:If I am indeed correct in all matters, then why is it my strong, steel-forged warrior's heart feels like it's breaking?

Part 2.Next excerpt:_Darunia:A Rock Solid Standpoint_


	4. Darunia: A Rock Solid Standpoint

Wise in Our Own Ways-Darunia: A Rock Solid Standpoint

_Author's Notes:_Darunia's tale begins now, and the hardened warrior, both physically and metaphorically, is forced to questions Link's strength.

**Warnings:**There isn't much, but there are a few descriptions of Link's dead body.

**Obligatory Disclaimer:**I own nothing of Zelda or its characters.

Wise in Our Own Ways

** **

Darunia:A Rock Solid Standpoint

Solid as the unbreakable stone, strong and powerful like the infallible mountain, that's what we Goron call our warriors.For generations we, the fighting Goron, have proven ourselves to be the unbeatable foes, the unfailing few, the dependable and determined destroyers, and for a long time, I thought Little Brother Link was one of us.

I guess I was wrong.

A part of me does not want to believe that he's gone, but the rock hard truth-his insipid, frozen corpse-is resting right before me.The once lively, vibrant lad whom I had come to love as if he were my own son is now only a motionless, hapless body, a pale shadow of his former self.

I can't help but wonder why he chose to do this, more so, why didn't Link at least speak to us of his pain?He still may have done it, but at least I wouldn't feel so stranded on this lonely island of anger and confusion.

I feel…cheated, wronged, as I this whole occurrence should never have happened.I feel angry, too, for not being privy to Link's suffering so that I could lend a guiding hand.It's as if he didn't trust me enough to help.Weren't we Goron brothers?Trust and confidentiality is what brotherhood is all about. 

Why did Link choose to end this in blood rather then glory, and why in the Temple of Time?Was this not the place that made him a man, a warrior, and a hero?Why not tell **us** for goddesses' sake?

I have so many questions and no answers, which is not a surprise.After all, an impaled body can only offer but a few precious answers when it's lying on an altar, still discolored from the dried blood from its tunic.

Another nagging inquiry: Why haven't we moved his body?The seven of us are here…standing…too shocked to move…

By the fiery quells of Death Mountain, Link deserve better then this!I want to revere him, beautify him, and prove him still the brave and noble young man I'd met so very long ago.

But I can't.I'm frozen, petrified like rock, made stationary by my own high moral and stubborn disbelief.Just like the very mountain I call my home I am static, frozen in time.

I still can't believe he's gone.

Perhaps it's too much to expect a one person to carry the burden of a thousand crying voices on his or her shoulders.Maybe, in a way, my great expectations should have been lowered just a bit.

And possibly, I should accept that, sometimes, mountains do crumble.

Part 3:Next excerpt:_Impa:Eye of the Beholder._


	5. Impa: Eye of the Beholder

Wise in Our Own Ways-Impa: Eye of the Beholder

_Author's Notes:_Protector and nanny to Princess Zelda, Impa now reveals to us her feelings on the subject of Link's passing.

**Warnings:**Mentions of some violent content, nothing worth above a PG rating, though.

**Obligatory Disclaimer:**I do not own Zelda or any of its characters.

Wise in Our Own Ways 

** **

Impa: Eye of the Beholder 

From since I can remember, my place in the royal family was the daring role of protector, supporter, and caretaker of Princess Zelda, and for years, I kept that role successfully.At times, I had to flee rather then fight, but in the end, I had effectively cosseted Princess Zelda with as much ferocity and determination as I care for my own life.From the rage of her father to terrible evil that was Ganondorf, I have been successful in all exploits of courage.

As the years fly by, my loyalty and affection for the Royal Family only grows stronger, and my affirmation of spending my life as a protector who burrows through the situations even in the deepest waters of chaos deepens with every victory.

However, for one I am not victorious in these matters, for I have failed in having delayed the end of the most prestigious, generous men who had ever lived: Link, the Hero of Time.For the first time in my life, another hand was in need to save my own, and I neglected to ever repay such munificence and devotion in the simplest manner Link needed: love. 

It is not a benign feeling, failure; in fact, it is a feeling whose inescapable culpability I loathe to the very depths of my forged soul. Especially in a situation such as this where my own hectic, befuddled heart beats frenziedly inside my throbbing chest as I look upon the one man whose essence I thought was far stronger then any mortal dagger of unsightly debilitation could slice through with such deadly precision as destiny did.Of all the heroes I have known, and valor comes in its many forms, I thought Link one of the few men whose heart was commodious enough to fill itself with the insight and heartache of others but full enough of that eternally stretching charity to solve those problems without a whimper of dissent.

I abhor to the thought of Link as any lesser then a hero, but I cannot conflict with what my eyes tell me.The Hero has died, and he has done so by his own hand.Who would have thought destiny's handpicked child would have come to such a drastic, unsettling manner? 

I have seen far too much in my days, and the weight of a near century's amount of stinging memories are finally beginning to unveil themselves in full force as I gaze upon our fallen warrior.

In a way, I can possibly see the reason as to why the boy chose to end it this way.As a Sheikah woman whose duty was to uphold the laws of Hyrule society and protect the Royal Family, one comes to look at hose whose lives rest in your fateful hands as fragile creatures, like flowers and petals and stems are easily torn away by the angry torrents of malevolence and wickedness that plague this land so frequently.As sensitive as the newly bloomed bud, their need to be sheltered from the raging storm is and essential need, or else they will quickly wither and retreat to their soiled depths when pressed to face the devil's courtiers in the eye.

We, the protectors, are the proud, tall trees, the overseers of the forest of all that goes on within their fortification of safety and security.Watching over the vulnerable and weak, we provide more then just the necessities to survive; we give them a reason to.Evidently, Link's tree was slowly regressing back to the flower stage where he too needed protecting.

On the other hand, am I mistaken?Was Link a quivering blossom all along, his soft petals plucked gradually from his emerald center of valiant envy?Was it I who failed to notice his slowly wilting blossoms in my worry for Princess Zelda?

I can no longer be sure of anything anymore; Ganondorf's wake has made it so that this world is plagued with so chaotic twists of fate and sudden change that I can no longer follow fate's trail anymore.I can clearly see that for now on, my own road will have to form itself for now on, and that I am going to have to learn to stretch my branches a little further to consider others for on.Too long have I gone with only caring for the safety of a royal that I have forgotten the duty I hold to all creatures and people other then those whose fealty I've sworn to.

I have come to believe that Link came to this realization in those final days.He understood that a road laid out does not necessarily require a traveler, and that building your own path is a choice we sometimes must debate whether to go ahead with at times.

While I mourn the Hero's death, I cannot help but contemplate the effects of such a passing has had on my understanding of the world.The boy's death has taught me much, and I praise to the goddesses for providing such a time-honored lesson, but I cannot help but feel cheated.If only the boy had waited just awhile, I could have taught him just so much, including the notion that even paths we lay out for ourselves may still be diverted into another direction.

But it's too late to late to tell him now, and it seems that, once again, the torrential winds have won.

Next excerpt:**_Ruto:A _****Miscegenational Bride's Perspective**

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	6. Ruto: A Miscengenational Bride's Perspec...

Wise in Our Own Ways-Ruto: A Miscengenational Bride's Perspective 

_Author's Notes_: Ruto, princess of the Zoras (soon to be queen), shares her perspective on Link's Death. I was trying to go for a snappy, confused response, one of a blustered young woman about to become queen who is now dealing with the deaths of two very close people.

**Warnings**: Talk of forced marriage, etc. 

**Obligatory Disclaimer:** I own no part of Ruto, Link, or any other character from the game Zelda: Ocarina of Time. They are all copyrighted to Nintendo and all related companies.

Wise In Our Own Ways

**_Ruto: A Miscegenational Bride's Perception_**

I am outraged, disgusted, and overall disappointed with Link. I thought him a reasonable man, a choice pick since I, Ruto, am never wrong in my choosing. He was supposed to my husband--no matter what relationship he'd had with that red-haired womanizer of a farm girl--and I thought him to be the prime choice for a beauty such as I.

Evidently, Link has failed to meet the standards.

How could he do this to me, so soon after my father's death? How could he do this to...us? What happened to us? Gone, that's what. In a breaths time, I have lost everything and anything Link and I ever shared.

This should never have happened, not in my lifetime, anyhow! I should not have to suffer the emotional blows of his death until my own has passed.

He did this on purpose, I can see it now. He had to! I mean, what else could he have done to leave me so...so stricken and confused!

Whatever the cause of this is, it can't be my fault. No, never will be. After all, I am princess of the Zoras; my words are final, my decisions wise, and, most importantly, I never have regrets. Nope, not one. Of course not, why should a queen be forced to bear the responsibilities and mistakes of the foolish hordes and peasants?

She shouldn't, that's what, and it is for that reason that I scorn Link's decision. How dare he, leaving me so blustered like this! In five days time, I am to be crowned queen, yet I will have no partner to bear the heir of our new generation nor be there by my side during the hard times. How could Link leave me so...alone.

One can see I can't think; even in my mind I stumble over the reasons for Link's undoing. I just...can't believe it.

Link is gone.

I can feel that cool shudder rising up my spine as the realization of the full extent of Link's demise washes over me. The feeling is one I have felt before, it being so like the sensation of utter terror and desolation that plagued me when I learned of my people's fate by Ganondorf's hand.

But this feeling is more then just one of fear: it's one of loneliness, abandonment, horror, and trepidation. Where do I go from here? Without...Link.

For once, I don't know the answer, but...but I'm sure the answer will make itself known to me soon, for a wise sage never goes long without the answers...

...Or do they?

No, I cry mentally, wringing my mind of all the doubts and fears that have been threatening to crash down one me. The ones that came in a rush at my first glimpse of Link's body, that came when I realized Link was gone, that came when I realized that I was really...alone.

By the goddesses, I'm doing it again! I just don't understand it, not at all. After all, if I am so disapointed in Link, then why can't I forget him? He's just a failure, right? Just something to be left along the way once he proves himself worthless?

But...then...

I'm going to miss those blue eyes when I visit, you know. Link had beautiful eyes, or maybe I'm just fantasizing...No, he did. Blue like the water in which my people live, shimmering like the sapphire that brought us together, and sparkling like the tears now falling freely from my eyes.

Perhaps, I have to come to terms with myself. Perhaps...I am the one who is wrong.

  


Next: **_Saria: A Child's Tears_**


	7. Saria: Tears of a Child

_Author's Notes:  _I figured it was about time I finished up this story.  ^_^  Here's Saria's version.

**Warnings:  **Angst, mention of death.

**Archive:  **Just ask.

Obligatory Disclaimer:  I own no part of Zelda or any of its characters.

Wise In Our Own Ways Saria:  Tears of a Child 

****

Red is such a funny color, you know.  Growing up in the forest, I never saw much of it other than in flowers.  There was always green all around me, though.  The leaves were green, the trees were green, the grass was green, and just so many other things were green.  It was the color of life, of strength.  That's why everyone in the Kokori village wore the color.  It was the symbol of what we were: children of the forest.

But this red color…it's the color of blood, of dying.  I don't think I like it.  It spills like thick wine over the white stone of the Temple of Time, staining it forever.  It's never going to go away; it's always going to be there to remind us of his death.

Oh Link…why?  How could you just leave us all behind?  Ruto loved you, Princess Zelda loved you, the people loved you…I loved you.  Yet now you're gone, and we can't love you anymore.  We only have our memories of you to hold on to.

I'm scared Link, really scared.  When you were around I always knew Hyrule had someone to protect us all.  When you were around I always knew there was someone to protect me.  Now I don't have a protector anymore, and it worries me.  I'm only a little girl given powers I only knew how to use because of the gods' intervention.  Other than that, I'm still a child!  I'm little and weak, tiny and insignificant in the greatness of everyone else.  If someone as great and strong and as powerful as you can fall…where does that leave me?

I needed you Link; I needed you here, with me, to take care of me!  Children need parents to watch over them!  When we were in the forest, the Great Deku Tree was our father, but as the years passed and you grew up where I didn't, you became the father I would never have, the guiding hand where I needed one.  It was you who would sit down with me sometimes and paint flowers when we had nothing else to do.  It was you who would take walks with me in the rain even thought your clothes always got soaked.  It was you who would take me out at night and point out the star constellations at night.  And it was you who told me stories of your adventures before I would go to sleep each night.

What am I going to do now?  Who's going to hold my hand when we walk in the rain?  Who's going to take time out of their own night to read me stories when I can't get to sleep?

Oh, Link, I'm so very afraid.  I don't share a bond with the other sages like Zelda and Ruto or Nabooru do.  I'm just a little girl to them.  A tiny, insignificant girl.  The only person who ever thought I was more was you, Link, and now you're gone.

I'm going to miss the pictures we painted together of fields of flowers and forest animals.  I'm going to miss those stories and those walks.  I'm going to miss being significant.

I think that, for your funeral, I'm going to draw a picture and you and I together in the woods.  That was where I remember seeing you happiest, when we were children.  I'm going to draw us playing in the flowers and making necklaces like we used to.  There will be white and blue flowers, violet and yellow ones.  We'll both be wearing green since that's the color of life in our forest.

But there won't be any red.  Not at all.  Because I don't like that color anymore.

Yes, I know that wasn't the best of my ability, but I was trying to set it in the mindset of a child.  Think about it for a few minutes, do you think Saria has the same vocabulary potential as Impa or Zelda?  I don't think so.  ^_~  Next excerpt should be the last!

Final Excerpt--_Zelda: A Royal Eulogy_


	8. Zelda: A Royal Eulogy

_Author's Notes:  _Final excerpt is by Zelda.  Now, I decided that because she was the princess, she deserved a slightly different approach. Rather than "think" her thoughts, Zelda is going to write them down in a eulogy.

**Warnings:  **Angst, mention of death.

**Archive: ** Just ask.

Obligatory Disclaimer:  I own no part of Zelda or of the characters in Ocarina of Time.

Wise in Our Own Ways Zelda:  A Royal Eulogy 

****

_Dear inhabitants of Hyrule,_

It has come to my attention that a great tragedy has befallen we people of Hyrule: our savior and Hero of Time, Link, has died, and by the coroner's reports, by his own hand.

Now my friends and loyal subjects, we shall not curse the gods for this passing nor shall we trespass upon the memory that was our Hero of Time.  Instead, we will mourn the loss of an honorable and loyal man.  The next two weeks in which in the winter solstice festival was scheduled will now become two weeks of official bereavement.  Members of the community that makes Hyrule the land that it is are invited to partake in this sorrowful event.  Link's death is a passing that will be remembered by all.

In terrible times such as these, often we cannot help but ask the question of why.  Why did our strongest, most admirable warrior choose to take his own life rather than live among us, loved by the throngs and those close to him?  It is a question that none of us can possibly answer, but we must keep in mind that Link's choice was, I am sure, supported by whatever justification he chose.

My people, I fully empathize with your suffering and pain.  Today is a time that few will ever forget; its events are forever inscribed in our bare memories.  Hear me people of Hyrule when I say that Link's death will not go forgotten.

Link was a kind and loving individual, the type of man who sacrificed everything for the cause of his country and people.  It is because of him that I stand before you now, dressed in the royal cloth and holding the coveted throne.  He freed our country from the iniquity that was Ganondorf and his minions.  He has helped the poor rebuild, given our children hope for the future, and encouraged an empire to rise from the ruins that remained of it.  He gave so much to us all, but most importantly, he gave us hope.

There is still hope.

We will move on, people of Hyrule, I swear it!  We will rise again from the ashes that he has left us in, and we will move on with his spirit watching over us.  He must have surely justified his own end for our good, so we must justify our desire to move on.  We will never forget him, but we will not be consumed by the sorrow and anger at losing him.

Trust me, people of Hyrule.  We have seen heaven and hell, chaos and serenity, war and peace, and now we must face the most difficult tribulation of all:  loving and leaving the memory of our brave Hero of Time.

May we all pray for his souls and our own.

Your ruler,

Pricess Zelda

I drop my feather pen in the inkwell as I finish up the formal public notice of your death.  After all, many have suspected the truth already, and I can only imagine the rumors that must be flying across the lands to even distant places like the Gerudo Desert.  Not to mention the fact that we do, after all, have to bury you.  I mean…you're gone.

            Personally, I really don't know what to say Link.  I want to comfort my people, yet your death has left empty and dull.  I can hardly stand to ink your name across my page.  Not out of disgust but of pain.  Of fear.  Of sorrow.

Oh Link, I feel so alone without you by my side, helping me write my speeches as to prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings between the people and I.  You always used to sit right by my window on the left, watching the sun peek out from behind Death Mountain as the dawn broke over all Hyrule, bringing the land to life and animation once more.  We always did end up spending all night working on those speeches.  Well, not so much the speeches; more often than not, we were working on learning more about each other, getting to know what we had lost during our short time together during your other life.  You always were so eager to learn…

Then again, you stopped helping me with documentaries years ago, right before you stopped visiting all together.  I never did understand why you left.  The one time I did get a chance to question you on the subjects, you simply gazed at me with sad, dreary eyes that seemed far too old for the youthful body they were in and muttered something about changing times and lost cause.

Link, when did your descent into disillusion begin?  Was it after the fire that ravaged the Kokiri village a few years ago?  What about Maron's death?  Or did it start long before either of those events, back when Ganondorf was still in charge?

I'm…sorry.  Sorry for all you've had to go through.  Sorry that you had to lose everyone you loved, and sorry that you had reason to find justification of your own means when greeting death.

It's hard, going on without you.  My hands tremble as I sign the formalities and documents needed to clear the responses on your death.  The rest of the sages have taken your body for burial.  Someplace in the forest, I believe, where you belonged.  After all, Saria claimed that's where you were happiest.

Oh gods…if I have all the infinite wisdom at my beck and call, then why can't I understand why you did this?  Why Link?  Why did you leave me all alone in this castle with only the cold walls to echo the happy memories of the past?  And why can't I find my own justification for living anymore?

Everywhere I turn, I expect to see your smiling face gazing out my window, fixing the flowers, polishing your sword, or sitting on my bed, laughing heartily at some comment or misinterpretation on my part.  That's how I want to remember you with me.  Laughing and smiling.  Because the last time I saw you, it wasn't a smile adorning your face.

I feel so helpless, so useless.  Oh gods…Despite my brave words in the speech, I don't know if I'll be able to move on myself.  I think…I think…Oh Link, I think I was…in love with you.

Yes, that's it.  I loved you. Not, not loved, love.  I love you.  And I think, years ago, when we first parted in the realms as I asked for the ocarina back and our hands met hesitantly, warmth meeting warmth, that you loved me too.  Even if the moment was fleeting, there was something more than friendship in your eyes.

But you're gone now, and you never did love me in return.  It was Maron who eventually won your heart and not my own.  I don't hate her nor begrudge you for choosing her over me, but sometimes, at night, I wish…

I wish that I could hug you now, kiss your cheek and tell you everything's going to be all right.  I want to hold in you my arms and pretend, just for an instant, that fairy tale endings do exist and that those feelings of long ago were more than a fleeting glimpse in your blue eyes.  I want to see you again, not as a corpse, but as a living, breathing man filled only with love and hope and joy, who knows nothing of sorrow and who can still look towards each day with shining eyes.

When I give my speech today, I'm going to picture you smiling and laughing.  Because the last time we met, you weren't smiling, and that's now how I want to remember you.  And even I can justify that.

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*takes deep breath* All right everyone!  Only the epilogue to go!  We're almost finished!

**Epilogue:  Final Words of Wisdom******


	9. Epilogue: Final Words of Wisdom

_Author's Notes:  _All right everyone, I enjoyed writing this story, and I want to thank everyone who reviewed!  Here it is, the final section.  Enjoy!

**Warnings:  **Angst, mention of death.

**Archive:  **Just ask.  ^_^

Obligatory Disclaimer:  I own no part of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or any of the characters, particularly Zelda, Link, and others.

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Wise in Our Own Ways Epilogue:  Final Words of Wisdom 

****

            ...You know, when I get back to the forest, I think I'm going to make a flower necklace.  Link and I always made those, and I want to keep that memory...

_            ...It's been the longest time since I've seen my son.  After Links' funeral, I'm going to visit him, at least to make sure he isn't being raised to be like his father..._

_...I hope this speech will be enough to satisfy the people; I was never quite that good at writing them when Link wasn't around..._

_...I wonder where we go from here..._

_...What will my son think when I tell him that his namesake is gone?_

_...How do I move on?  I...miss him..._

_...The loss of the boy hurts me, but I cannot help but consider how much he has taught me..._

_...And then I'll put the flowers on his doorway.  Maybe I'll even invite Mido..._

_...I wonder if whose eyes he has.  Does he have Ganondorf's dark ones or my own..._

_...When I think about it, I'm not much good at anything when Link isn't here..._

_...How does one reach the end of his tunnel when he cannot light it himself..._

_...Will he cry?  Will I..._

_...Who will be my husband? My mother was wrong about that sapphire..._

_...But heavy was the price on that knowledge..._

Oh Link, we are so sorry.  Sorry for not protecting you when you needed us most, for not returning the favor that you gave so selflessly for us many times before.  We want to see and touch again, apologize for how we wronged you, hug and comfort you to ease the pain of your losses.  We want to grab your hand and give you light so you can guide you down a much brighter path.  A path where we neither side was forced to shed tears, and in the end, we were all together.

But you are not here, and we could only do so much.  For in all the infinite knowledge of the gods, we sages are wise each in our own ways, and at times, that isn't enough.

_We love you Link.  We're sorry..._

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Thank you to all of those who reviewed, and thank you to those who just read.  Your encouragement is really what made this story great!  Thank you all!


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